Pulp Fiction

Although Reservoir Dogs put Quentin Tarantino on the map as an up and coming filmmaker, Pulp Fiction made him a landmark of cinema that was to be revisited for years to come. It interesting to examine how Tarantino's style matured with this film, and how it possibly caused him to be such a phenomenon. This is in terms of a stronger eye in terms of aesthetics, but also the way Tarantino allows his characters to breath a bit more, giving the film a far more relaxed story, even though there are three tension causing plot points behind the three main stories. All three stories that offer their own little flavor. Whether it is the forbidden romance of the first story, the complications of a man on the run, or just the hilarity following an accidental murder, yeah that's right hilarity. Tarantino allows his dialogue to shine and almost every conversation is a little gem. Tarantino manages to make them engaging, often entertaining, and most importantly helps to flesh out the characters. Well that is all except the painfully slow scene of the boxer Butch (Bruce Willis), and his girlfriend as she waxes on forever about her desire for a pot belly. That scene stops the movie right in its tracks, and I dread it whenever watching the film. Luckily Howard Hawks's apparent statement that a good film had to have three good scenes and no bad ones isn't true. A film can survive a bad scene if it has enough great ones to make up for. Pulp Fiction has those in overabundance. Whether it is the initial banter between the two hitman, taking out the mob boss's wife, the adrenaline needle, Christopher Walken's one scene wonder, the samurai sword showdown, Harvey Keitel's sorta one scene wonder, and of course the diner robbery finale. The film is pieced together brilliantly as it is bursting with unforgettable moments which add up to something truly special.  
5/5